In Congress, July 4th 1776

The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness...http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm
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The real increased danger we, as American citizens, face in the "post 9/11" world is from our own government not from foreign powers.
We face as much danger from foreign attack now as we did before 9/11 and on 9/11. And there's no wonder about that. As Malcolm X said after the JFK assasination, "the chickens come home to roost". http://www.neravt.com/left/invade.htm
The US military and covert intelligence apparatus has been over throwing duly elected governments, assasinating people, effecting 'regime change', etc. for a long time and all in the name of 'American interests'. Not MY interests mind you (and probably not yours, either) but the interests of the owning/ruling/investing classes (and those who serve them, the 'little Eichmans', in Ward Churchill's phrase.).
When a leader arises in a foreign country who wants to nationalize that countries resources in order to benefit the citizens of that country, the US military/covert intelligence apparatus neutralizes them one way or another so the business of exploiting them can go on.
We, as reasoning people, simply cannot expect them to bend over and take it forever. We didn't. That's what we celebrate on July 4th.
I think the current illegitimate administration(GWB&Co.were simply not elected in 2000 and probably not in 2004) would like to treat us like a 'third-world banana republic'. They serve multi-national corporations that have no patriotic feelings left. Profit is all. They've destroyed the manufacturing base in the US and told us to re-train for service and information industry jobs and then started shipping those jobs overseas.
I do feel a change in the wind. I think political analyists in the near future will talk about BS and AS. Before Shiavo and After Shiavo. That seemed to mark a change. It was such a tranparent exploitation of a personal family tragedy for political ends. And on the foreign policy front the difference between the 'story' (Iraq's going great, the insurgency's in it's last throes, etc.) and the reality (more dead everyday, Iraq's become a breeding ground for highly motivated and trained guerilla fighters) is more apparent everyday. You can't fool all(or most of) the people, all the time. I've heard the word 'impeachment' bandied about more and more.
If Karl Rove did 'out' a CIA operative he should be charged with treason.
If GWB lied to Congress and the American people based on intelligence that was 'cooked' in the basement of the Pentagon then impeachment inquiries should start now.
I'm proud this July 4th that I signed(along with 560,000 other Americans) Rep. John Conyer's letter to GWB. (see:http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/ & :http://www.house.gov/conyers/)
It's not much but it's something and I am, in fact, proud this July 4th that I can, by my own lights, call myself an American patriot.
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